From the Mound to the Mob: David Riske's Journey of Perseverance

Summary

Escaping the Drift with John Gafford: Episode Summary

Episode Title: From the Mound to the Mob: David Riske's Journey of Perseverance
Released on: January 7, 2025

In this compelling episode of "Escaping the Drift," host John Gafford engages in an in-depth conversation with former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher, Dave Riske. The episode delves into Dave's inspiring journey from his humble beginnings to achieving a successful career in professional sports, and his transition into life after baseball. Through candid discussions, Dave shares valuable insights on perseverance, financial management, and raising athletic children.

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1. Introduction and Background

John Gafford sets the stage by introducing Dave Riske, highlighting his 11-year tenure in the major leagues as one of the premier relief pitchers. He mentions Dave's unique personality, marked by his distinctive soul patch, and his current role as a father to two Division I (D1) athletes. John emphasizes the focus of the episode: understanding how Dave navigated his athletic career and now raises champion children.

Notable Quote:
John: “Do you want to level up? Are you feeling stuck in a never-ending drift... it's time to start right now.” [00:15]

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2. Early Life and Upbringing

Dave recounts his upbringing outside Seattle, Washington, highlighting a modest childhood. Despite not being the largest or strongest athlete, Dave's relentless belief in his abilities propelled him forward. He shares a pivotal moment when his father discouraged his baseball ambitions, urging him to seek a regular job instead.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “My dad told me when I was 18 years old to stop playing baseball, go get a regular job. You're not good enough. You'll never make it.” [04:08]

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3. Baseball Career Beginnings

Choosing to defy his father's advice, Dave committed to pursuing baseball, starting at Green River Community College. He credits his head coach, Dan Spencer, as a crucial mentor who transformed his role from shortstop to pitcher, a decision that significantly shaped his professional trajectory.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “Dan Spencer... converted me to a pitcher there and just kind of helped me through all my situations off the field.” [05:43]

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4. Draft Journey and Challenges

Dave discusses the challenges of the MLB draft, particularly being selected in the 56th round of the 1996 draft—a time when the draft was much longer. Despite the discouraging nature of his draft experience, Dave's determination saw him rise rapidly through the minor leagues to the big leagues in just two and a half years.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “I was the 1634th pick in the 1996 draft... I made it to the big leagues in two and a half years at 22 years old.” [09:24]

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5. Major League Debut

Recounting his MLB debut, Dave describes the overwhelming emotions and pressures of his first game. From accidentally spilling candy on the field during the anthem to striking out his first batter, Dave highlights the steep learning curve and the support he received from seasoned teammates.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “I ended up working to a full count and then struck him out looking. And the whole place in Cleveland went crazy.” [17:30]

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6. Experiences and Highlights in the MLB

Throughout his career, Dave shares memorable moments, including interactions with legends like Derek Jeter. He emphasizes the intensity required to excel as a reliever, where each appearance demands perfection.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “Being a reliever... is the hardest job in baseball because you have to be perfect every time you go out.” [07:49]

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7. Transition to Life After Baseball

Post-retirement, Dave reflects on his financial journey, transitioning from earning $800 a month in the minors to managing substantial income in the majors. He candidly discusses the pitfalls of sudden wealth, admitting to overspending on shoes and cars before securing his financial future with the help of an agent and financial advisor.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “Once you sign a big contract, you're just like, you want to do that one time. Like, you want to get the big house, you want to get the cool cars...” [29:03]

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8. Financial Management and Lessons Learned

Dave offers vital advice on financial stewardship for athletes, stressing the importance of listening to financial advisors and avoiding impulsive purchases. He contrasts his disciplined approach with peers who squandered their earnings, highlighting the necessity of long-term planning.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “I would tell my younger self, you got to be smarter with your money. Way smarter. As far as not buying the dumb shit.” [32:50]

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9. Raising Children in Sports

Transitioning to his role as a father, Dave discusses the challenges and rewards of fostering athleticism in his children. He emphasizes a balanced approach, advocating for participation in multiple sports to develop diverse skills and prevent burnout. Despite a tough upbringing, Dave aims to provide his sons with opportunities he lacked, though he acknowledges the fine line between encouragement and overpressure.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “I started a club ball baseball team around town right away... I was a very competitive, hard dad with them.” [35:25]

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10. Advice for Parents and Young Athletes

Dave shares strategic insights for parents aiming to support their children's athletic aspirations. He advises waiting until middle school to assess true talent, promoting athleticism over early specialization, and prioritizing education as a fallback. Dave warns against the pitfalls of excessive club sports participation and the pressure of high expectations.

Notable Quote:
Dave: “I think the best thing you could do is wait to have an opinion until they're in eighth or ninth grade because that's when it all starts.” [37:15]

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11. Conclusion

John and Dave conclude the episode by reinforcing the importance of resilience, smart financial planning, and balanced parenting in achieving personal and professional fulfillment. They encourage listeners to leverage their experiences and insights to escape mediocrity and strive for excellence in their own lives.

Notable Quote:
John: “If you have kids today, man, you know, they could be great, but you got to give them an opportunity to do so and so can you give yourself a chance.” [60:21]

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Key Takeaways:

• Perseverance Over Doubt: Dave's journey underscores the power of self-belief and determination in overcoming obstacles.

• Financial Discipline: Managing sudden wealth through professional advice is crucial for long-term financial stability.

• Balanced Athletic Development: Encouraging participation in multiple sports fosters well-rounded athleticism and personal growth.

• Educational Foundation: Prioritizing education provides a safety net beyond athletic careers.

• Supportive Parenting: Balancing encouragement with allowing children to explore their interests cultivates healthy, driven individuals.

Dave Riske's story serves as an inspirational roadmap for athletes and parents alike, emphasizing that with the right mindset and strategies, one can transcend challenges and achieve remarkable success.

For more insights and episodes, visit www.EscapingtheDrift.com.

Transcript

[A]

Every team, every topic, everywhere. This is.

[B]

Believe.

[A]

What number player were you?

[B]

I was the 1634th pick.

[A]

Oh, my.

[B]

In the two in the 1996 draft.

[A]

Okay, so here's a. You may not even know this, but is there anybody that was picked after you that had any type of a career? And now, escaping the Drift, the show designed to get you from where you are to where you want to be. I'm John Gafford, and I have a knack for getting extraordinary achievers to drop their secrets to help you on a path to greatness. So stop drifting along, Escape the Drift, and it's time to start right now. Back again. Back again for another episode. Like it says in the opening, man, the podcast that gets you from where you are to where you want to be. And today, man, it's not just about getting you where you want to be, because I got a. I got a baller in the studio today. Literal terms, ballerina. This is a dude. This is a cat that spent 11 years in the major leagues. One of the best, best relief pitchers that was ever, ever to do it, had probably the best soul patch easily in the game from back in the day. And more importantly, I think the interesting part of a story now, and what I would want to hear as a parent, what I'm interested in is this dude now has two kids that are playing D1 level. So sports. And I want to talk about how. How you raise. How you raise a champion, man, today. Because this dude's got it. Got it cold. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to studio. This is Dave. Risky Dave.

[B]

How's it going?

[A]

What's up, dude?

[B]

How are you, man? I don't know about one of the best relievers, but I was up there.

[A]

Hey, man. No, no, but the soul patch was for sure. You had the best soul patch in baseball. I'm gonna give you that one.

[B]

You know, my teammates called it the stinger.

[A]

That's what they called it. It was a magical. So it was, you know what Soul pat. When you can pull off a soul patch, it was such a magical time, dude. It really was.

[B]

Just looking back on it now, it looks awful.

[A]

When you could roll down the street with literally like a caterpillar crawling across the bottom of your lip. People thought this was stylish, dude. It was. It was a look. It was a look for sure, man. So let's talk about you growing up, dude. Because obviously, man, you know, to reach the heights that you did playing pro sports, man, or playing sports in general, there has to be a lot of. Of going into that. So where did you grow up?

[B]

I grew up outside of Seattle, Washington.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And my biggest thing was I didn't let anybody tell me I couldn't do anything. I wasn't the biggest, strongest athlete. I was. I was a good athlete, but I didn't have all the best tools. But I just. I always believe that if anybody says I couldn't do something, I would 100% do it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No matter if I couldn't do it, I would believe that I could do it.

[A]

Where did that internal belief come from?

[B]

I actually don't know.

[A]

What is it? What did your folks do?

[B]

My dad's worked at Boeing for, like, 40 years. He's a machinist or works on airplane parts, whatever. My mom was a waitress slash restaurant manager whole life.

[A]

See, I find that interesting because, like, probably very similar to, like, Detroit. Right. Because I lived in Detroit for a while, and it seems like in that part of the world, it's like, dad works at Ford. You go to high school, you marry your high school girlfriend, and then you get a job right next to dad on the line. Right, Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Was there a similar. Was that kind of. With Boeing? Was that kind of the plan?

[B]

No, I wanted to be nothing like my dad.

[A]

No, no. But. But was that. Was that. But a lot of your friends, I'm sure. Is that what happened to them?

[B]

Oh, yeah. For sure. Yeah.

[A]

So they fell into that same thing.

[B]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

So was it rebelling against that life, or is it just something you just wanted more as a kid? Like what was.

[B]

Kind of both. So my dad and I always tell the story when I talk, and I'm obviously very humble person. I don't like to brag or do anything, but I think my story is pretty cool. My dad told me when I was 18 years old to stop playing baseball, go get a regular job. You're not good enough. You'll never make it. Now, when that comes from your dad as a kid, that hits hard. And I usually always get emotional when that. When I talk about this. But that made me want to do it more than anything I've ever believed in. It was crazy. Wow.

[A]

So dad told you to hang it up at 18?

[B]

Yes, 100%.

[A]

When you were growing now because baseball is so crazy, Especially here in Las Vegas. Were you one of those kids growing up that was, like, you had a hitting coach when you were four? Any of that shit? No, had.

[B]

I mean, you're right, it is crazy. Now I actually give lessons, too, in here in town. And I had nothing. I mean, I Maybe went to a couple baseball camps.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I was always football, basketball, baseball. So I didn't have time to specialize in one sport in one thing. And I think that's the key to kids. Everyone specializes in one sport now, and I think they could become better athletes if they played multiple sports because it's.

[A]

Different muscle sets and different. All of that stuff. When you play a different sport, so dad tells you, hang it up. It makes you want to do more. So in that moment, what was the decision making like for. For you?

[B]

Like, when dad said that, I just. I was kind of like, cocky kid. So I said, are you. Are you crazy? No, I'll go find. Because I. I don't think he wanted to pay my junior college money, you know, pay for my tuition. So I was like, I'll find. I'll get it paid for. Don't worry about that.

[A]

I'll figure it out.

[B]

Yeah. And then I actually had Division 1 colleges tell me I wasn't good enough to play D1 baseball.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

That's why I went the junior college route.

[A]

Yeah. So you went to junior college. Where'd you go? Where'd you go to junior.

[B]

It's called a Green River Baseball or Green River Community College. Sorry.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Right outside of Seattle.

[A]

And how long did you spend there?

[B]

Two years.

[A]

Two years. Was it all about baseball or did you actually make it to class?

[B]

It was all about. I mean, we had to go to class, but it was all baseball.

[A]

It was all baseball.

[B]

Yeah. Just trying to get to the next level from there.

[A]

So did you find a mentor there that was like. Like, where was the. Where's the Merlin in your. In your hero's quest? Where's the Obi Wan Kenobi? Who was that guy?

[B]

It was my head coach there at Jun College, Dan Spencer. And he's been a. He's been a coach all throughout the country now, but he was for sure my mentor and really changed my life there because I was a shortstop coming out of high school and I thought, there's no way I'm going to ever be a pitcher. He converted me to a pitcher there and just kind of helped me through all my parents and all my situations off the field. And I was going to transfer to another college, and he was able to talk me out of it. To stay there.

[A]

To stay there.

[B]

And then that's where my career took off after that.

[A]

What. What did he see that make him. Made him think that you'd be a better pitcher than a shortstop?

[B]

I always had a good arm, and he always he was just. He was one of those guys that kind of pushed my buttons. And I actually liked it because he was like, you're not a good hitter. You can't hit, you're too skinny. You're this that. You know what I mean? And I just. Anybody that tells me I can't do something, I kind of. It just feeds on me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean? And I want to be the best I can when someone says that.

[A]

Yeah. So you switched over to being a pitcher. How long did that transition take? Because that's difficult. Yeah.

[B]

Yes. But I did pitch a little bit in high school, so it wasn't that big of a deal. But become. To become a full time pitcher and not hit anymore, that was tough mentally because I was like, wait, I'm not playing a position, I'm playing short, so I'm not hitting. This is. This is boring. Yeah.

[A]

Were you always the reliever?

[B]

No, I was a starter in college, so. So that took off and then I had good results and then just stayed with it with pitching.

[A]

I imagine the mental part of it is so hard. It's how much of it's between the ears and how much of it's in the shoulder.

[B]

With this, with the game of baseball, it's the easiest job because hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I realized that. But just when you're a strike thrower, it's. You just go up there and you just throw the baseball. Especially at that, at that age. And in junior college, I was just going up there and trying to throw strikes. But at the highest level, being a reliever, I think is the hardest job in baseball because you have to be perfect every time you go out. You can't give up a starter's run, you can't give up your own run. You can't blow leads. Like, you have to be absolutely perfect the whole time. Yeah. Because starters can give up runs. They can throw seven innings, give up three runs and have a great start.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

A reliever can't throw an inning and give up a run. And it's a good outing. It's. It's not a good outing.

[A]

It's just not that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So when you're in, when you're in college, you're a starter. And then how, at what point you decide to go in the draft?

[B]

After my second year, scout started coming around and my velocity was going up and they were starting to give me a lot of. A lot of feedback, and they're like, we're going to take you in the draft? So I committed to Texas Tech University after my second year of junior college. So I was going to go there. I didn't plan on signing in the draft, but then the scouts. This is another funny story. The scouts told me that was going to go the first or second day in the draft. The draft comes around, I don't go till day three, the 56th round.

[A]

What is that? Okay, so let's talk about that dude. Because you see that on tv, right? You see that in the NFL draft, where you see those poor bastards that make the trip to wherever it is, and they're sitting in the green room and the phone don't ring, buddy. So what was that?

[B]

I mean. And I was in no green room. Like, the third day is just like maybe draft for favors or kind of fill roster spots back then. My story won't even happen the third this year because there's. Or now nowadays, because there's only 20 rounds. I was drafted the 56th round.

[A]

The 56th round.

[B]

56Th.

[A]

I mean, at that point, are they just kind of let like the interns.

[B]

Yeah, sometimes they do a draft and follow with the high school kids.

[A]

It's like a fan. It's like a fantasy draft at that point.

[B]

Right. You're just filling them in.

[A]

Yeah, we. We select Gandalf because maybe he can. Fitch. I don't know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So the 50s. What number player were you?

[B]

I was a 1634th pick.

[A]

Oh, my.

[B]

In the two. In the 1996 draft.

[A]

Okay, so here's. You may not even know this, but is there anybody that was picked after you that had any type of a career?

[B]

I don't. I don't think so. But there's three of us and all. And it could have changed, but this is when I was playing, when I got called up to big leagues in 99. They always talked about this because it's a big deal, but there's only three of us that were later than the 50th round that had 10 years in the big leagues. Yeah, it was me, Mike Piazza, and. Oh, I could be getting the next Jeff Conine, I think. I don't know if you remember that, because for a long time there was literally only three of us.

[A]

I mean, that's ins. That is insane.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so the GM that picks you there looks like a genius.

[B]

Yes. Let me go back to when I got drafted. The third day, I was. I was pissed off. I was. I was like, if I don't go on the first and second day, screw the draft, you know, What?

[A]

I mean, I'll go play a Texas Tech.

[B]

Texas Tech and then hopefully get better there. And then I was sitting there going, the scouts were coming to me, and they were like, you know what? We're. We're drafting you as a favor. I think one of the scouts said. He goes, you have no shot of making it. I'm just doing. It was a dick. And I'm sitting there going, wait, what? I'm 18 years old listening to this, and I'm like, what is going on right now? I keep having these people come into my life and, like, sit there and tell me I can't do something. Well, I was. I ended up signing and went to spring training, and I made it to the big leagues in two and a half years at 22 years old.

[A]

But. But at 18. So, like, here's the. Here's the thing, right? Like, you see, like, I think I.

[B]

Just turned 19 then, but, like, look.

[A]

I have no frame of references because obviously nobody's ever occurred to me to do much of anything, really. But. No, but. But you watch, like, Moneyball, right, Where he talks about, you know, in the movie anyway, you know, Billy Bean's experience, where he's like, you know, being mind fucked, essentially, by the scouts when he was a young kid. And that's real. That happens? Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, they just. They. I don't think. I think he was just. The scout was just being a dick. You know what I mean? Like, I don't think. I just think he was just like, well, anyways, I got called to the big leagues, and he tried to call me to say, congratulations, because I think they get a big bonus or something if other players works out. Yeah. And I answer the phone and he said, hey, congratulations. This is Steve Avila. I go, don't you ever call me ever again. Click, and hung up on him.

[A]

I'm done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. Dude. Taking that. You know, it's funny. One of the things that I love to say is, you got two choices when things. Negativity happens to you in your life, man. It can either be fuel or it can be. It can go in the trunk or it can go in the engine.

[B]

For sure.

[A]

It's either gonna be baggage you're lugging around, or you can use it as gas. Yeah.

[B]

And when I was younger, it was always gas.

[A]

Yeah. Just always. Okay.

[B]

I don't know about now, now that I'm older, but, yeah.

[A]

It's like, oh, I can't do this. Okay, that's fine. Screw you. That's. It so you make it to the majors in two years in the minors.

[B]

Two and a half years.

[A]

What was that like?

[B]

It was really hard. It was fun because you're young and you don't know anything else and. Yeah, I just wanted to play professional baseball.

[A]

What was your. What was your first contract?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I think the.

[A]

12 bucks in a can of soda.

[B]

$820 a month before taxes.

[A]

Oh, God. 828.

[B]

20Amonth before taxes.

[A]

Yeah. And to keep in mind, even though the Soul Patch was popular then, this ain't that fun. This ain't that long ago. It's just not. Just not a good payment.

[B]

1997.

[A]

Holy shit. Okay, so you're making 800 bucks and what. What third world city are you playing?

[B]

I was in Kinston, North Carolina.

[A]

Okay. All right. Which is really cool. God's country.

[B]

Oh, yeah. It was fun.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. So you're playing in Kingston, North Carolina. You just stayed there the whole time?

[B]

I was there for the first two years in the minor leagues, and then I just went up to Akron, Ohio, and then Buffalo, New York. Those are my minor league stops.

[A]

Those are my only stops. So Buffalo and then what's the day? Like, you get the call?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. It was. I can still. It was. It was so shocking. This is a cool story, too. So I was in triple A, pitching very well. I'm 22 years old. There was two other guys that have been up and down in the big leagues. Oh, my gosh, I wish I could remember their names. But they called all three of us into the office. The manager, and he goes, I don't know what's going on, but so and so got hurt. One of you three are going to the big leagues tomorrow. And I'm sitting there going, how are you going to call us in there.

[A]

And say, one of you.

[B]

I'm 22. These guys have already been to the big leagues. You know what I mean? So I'm like. Like, going, what the heck? So you guys go home or whatever, and I'll just wait for a phone call. Well, at midnight, my manager called me, goes, risky, you're going to the big leagues tomorrow. Congratulations. And I just. I was freaking out. Like, it was like a dream come true. And I just. I think I called my mom and everybody that night and then went to Anaheim the next morning.

[A]

Went to. So Anaheim was. Who called you out?

[B]

No, I'm sorry. I was with Cleveland Indians, and I went to Anaheim to play that.

[A]

So that's the first major league Baseball field.

[B]

First major stadium I've ever been in Anaheim. Yeah.

[A]

So when you were in the minor leagues, just to go back just a little bit, did you have, like, that salty, old, like, gristled veteran that had been to the majors? It was like, kid, let me tell you what it's like. No, I know. Am I just dreaming this up?

[B]

No, I had a ton of teammates like that.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But no, I was not like that at all.

[A]

No.

[B]

Yeah, because I was so young.

[A]

Well, no, no, but I'm saying you had the older guys telling you, like, oh, for sure.

[B]

Oh, yeah, they were.

[A]

Let me take you under the wing.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. And then the hookers. You got to look out for the hookers because they're going to try to get you now. Whatever.

[B]

And some of them were jerks, too, because they know that I'm trying to make it up. And they're just back and forth and they're miserable. And a lot of them had kids and were married. I'm like, what's going on here?

[A]

Yeah. Oh, dude, it must be hard when you're up there and you get sent down. That's not. That's something that never really happened to you.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no.

[A]

Didn't really happen. So you get the call, you go to Anaheim. You're in Anaheim. You walk out on the field that first. Did you play the first night?

[B]

I did not play, but my very first night in the big leagues, I was just that rookie and young kid that sat in my locker and didn't even look at anybody. I was like, I was with all the big time named name players.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I. So there's a. The youngest kid in the bullpen will always. You have to make the candy bag for the bullpen. You have to make this certain snack bag for the whole bullpen. So I said, I'm gonna make the best one. They're gonna be so impressed with this. Day one, I make this huge bag. I didn't double bag it. So I'm walking the anthem. We stand in front of the dugout, the anthem goes off, and then I'm walking across the outfield to get to the bullpen in Anaheim, right about center field, the bag falls open. All the candy on the field, and David justice comes running over because he was a left fielder. He comes running over and he goes, don't worry, rook. I'll help you.

[A]

Oh, that's nice.

[B]

And he helps me pick it up. And I'm sitting there going, I'm so embarrassed. I'm running it out to the Bullpen. It was good.

[A]

So you literally just littered the entire field with candy your first time out.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

So the first night you didn't.

[B]

But it's nerve wracking.

[A]

Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure. Who was the first? Other than Dave justice, who was kind enough to help you finish your Halloween fest, I guess, in left field, who was the first player that. That kind of took in the big leagues, that kind of took you under their way?

[B]

There was a couple of them. I don't know if you know the names, but there's Mike Jackson. He was a closer for a long time in the big leagues. Paul Shu is another reliever. And then Charles Nagy was a starter. But there was. There. I had so many good teammates that helped me out with everything my first year because I was so young. They were all like in their mid-30s. And I was like, I thought, these guys are as old as my dad.

[A]

Yeah, right, sir. Everybody's, yes, sir, no, sir.

[B]

Yeah. Finley was so good to me. Oh, my God, there were so many. So many good teammates. Yeah.

[A]

So when's the first night you get to play?

[B]

It was three. Three days later I got to pitch in Cleveland because we played two games in Anaheim and then went back home and I played the third or whatever three days later, and I came in with like a 71 lead. And my first batter, my legs, you could see me on video, were shaking. Like I was nervous wreck. And I just couldn't even believe I'm in the major leagues.

[A]

What? So, okay, so what does the manager say? Does he even talk to you or just. Just go.

[B]

They just call down, like, get riskies in the game. And then I get. That's it warmed up, and I walk out.

[A]

You got this kid just, here's the ball. Go.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

All right. So your legs are shaking.

[B]

My legs are shaking. On the first pitch I throw, strike one. Which is. Oh, my gosh. I'm like, yes. I get the next pitch, pop up. It was Mike Bordick was my first hitter. Then my second hitter was BJ Sirhoff. He flies out the left field. And then I kind of calmed down a little bit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then the next hitter comes walking to the plate, and it's Albert Bell. And I'm like, if you remember him.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

It was Giant.

[B]

And I'm like, oh, I'm. My legs start shaking again. And so I ended up working to a full count and then struck him out looking. And the whole place in Cleveland went crazy. And so that was My first.

[A]

That was it. So now you're like, after this, I'm okay. Yeah, I'm okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Who were the guys throughout your career that would come to the plate that you're like, oh, this guy.

[B]

Derek Jeter was one.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I can't.

[B]

You know what's funny is I kept hitting him.

[A]

He got it. That's one way to die.

[B]

He a game tying home run off me in New York. But all the other times, I think I walk out him out a couple times, I think, but he always, he always saw me. Well, he like, he always got hits off me. And then I would throw an off speed pitch and I would hit him and I like, I hit him back to back at bats and I'm like, we were on the bus and somebody had. Was talking to him on the phone or something like, let me talk to him. Like, Jeter, I'm not meaning to hit you.

[A]

Yeah, sorry, dude, it's my bad.

[B]

But yeah, he was. He was impressive.

[A]

Speaking of hitting people, anybody ever charge at you on the mound?

[B]

It was close. I had some close ones.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Because I had to hit. I had to hit, Hit a bunch of people on purpose. I got traded from the Red Sox to the White Sox and Ozzy Guillen was the manager. My very first outing, one of our players gets hit and they call down, get risky up. And I'm like, I know because I'm kind of seven years in then, so I knew what I was supposed to do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And do they tell you that, or.

[A]

Is that just an un. Well, it's kind of.

[B]

Yeah, kind of, but not really.

[A]

Kind of unspoken.

[B]

Yeah. Right. You just kind of know. Yeah, you know, and the bullpen coach is like, risky. You know what you're doing? I know exactly what I'm doing.

[A]

Yeah. I'm gonna beam this guy.

[B]

So I went in and. First time pitching for the White Sox, first time in the uniform, I just get traded and I got in and hit this guy and this dude, I forgot his name, but he was not. He was not small. And I first pitched, drilled him. I got thrown out of the game. And the manager and the team loved me.

[A]

They were like, okay, Risky, welcome to Chicago. You're gonna fit in a South side dress. Fine. Oh, that's funny.

[B]

That was fun.

[A]

Where was the. Where was your favorite place you got to play? Where was the best place?

[B]

St. Louis was great.

[A]

Dude, I love. Dude, I used to live.

[B]

Those fans are great.

[A]

If you know St. Louis at all, if you know the town at all a little bit all right, so when I lived in St. Louis, I lived in a part of town called Soulard, which is right by the stadium.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's right where the Budweiser plan is.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

So like when you say plant, it's not like the smokestacks and like you're talking about a brick like palace this place looks like. And the Clydesdales would run in front of my house every.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Yeah. So I could walk out of my house in the Clydesdales. I'll be down the street. It was great. And we could walk to Busch Stadium and dude, what a great place to.

[B]

Watch baseball for visiting players because I was obviously never played for them. But those fans are unbelievable. They know the game and it's, it's, it's a lot of fun playing there.

[A]

I love. There was a comedian once, it was talking about, if you're an alcoholic, there's no worse place in the world to go. The Busch Stadium. Because like, they don't. Like, like seventh inning stretch is not taking me out the ball game. It's the, the Budweiser theme song. Like everything is just all about the beer, which is nuts. But yeah, that was a great.

[B]

That whole atmosphere is great.

[A]

That was a great.

[B]

I've never heard anybody say anything negative about that place.

[A]

Yeah. St. Louis.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Almost got killed by the mob there.

[B]

Well, I mean the baseball stadium.

[A]

But I actually know it's a good. If you want to hear it, I almost got killed by the mob in St. Louis. So here's the story, right? So this is when I'm working for Hooters of America as a young, strapping 20 something year old person, which there's no better job at those days than running Hooters if you were a young, strapping 20 something year old male. And anyway, so I got, I had gotten transferred from where I was in Manchester to South county, which is another store that I took over and my girlfriend at the time, because you couldn't work in the same store your girlfriend had been working at. South County. And south county in St. Louis is kind of notorious for a little mobbed up. Like the mob is a real thing, right? And so this old guy, we'll just call him Jay because that was his name. I'm not going to say his last name because who knows, he might have relatives and somehow those shit. But now this dude Jay was old guy. It was like 60s, always going every day and see my, see my girlfriend, right? Loved her. And then when I got transferred down there, she had to go to A different store. He didn't like that, right? So he started going up to the other store where she went. He's like, oh, you got to get rid of this bum. Come back down, I'll take care of you. Blah, blah, blah, blah. She's telling me this old mobster seller, all this. So I'm like, all right. It's like my like first week there and I'm sitting there and I see him come in and sit down, like, oh, okay, all right. I know this dude is. But I'm going to kind of avoid him because that's just. I figure he doesn't want to talk to me. I'm just going to be do my job, right? So I'm doing my job. And the he sits down and I walk by him. At some point, he grabs me by the arm, like, fucking grabs me. Like, not like, like, excuse me, but like, like, man, man handles that. And I'm like, whoa. And I look over and he's like, fuck, I've been here for. I've been here for an hour. You don't stop by and say hello to me. You show me no respect. You disrespect me like this, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I' Whoa. I'm like, jay, I'm really sorry. I was under the impression you want to talk to me. I was just trying to give you some space and do your thing, right? I'm just trying to just do my job here. That's all. No disrespect, right? I was just trying to be nice. So I get out of that and I go in the back and the restaurant was like a V shaped right where the kitchen was in the middle. And then the restaurant went this way and then went this way. And the door was over here.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So in the kitchen's here in the middle, like kind of like a baseball field, right? So I'm in the office and I come out of the office and I walk into the kitchen. I look up and now his sons are in the restaurant, right? Like four of them. And these are dudes that, let's just say they don't care about going to jail. I'm like, oh. And they, dude, it's like 6:00 on a Tuesday. This is not like midnight. It's like families in the restaurant, like little kids coloring on, eating hamburgers or whatever. And these dudes lose their shit and they start going, you disrespect our father, disrespect our father, we're going to stick your fucking head in the Fire. And they start coming, right? And I'm like, oh, my God. So I'm in the middle of the kitchen between two dudes, and luckily that my cooks were there were bouncers or huge dudes or bouncers part time at a bar in the land called Boomers. So they were huge. So they were kind of protecting me. I'm standing in the middle of them, and these dudes are coming into the kitchen, and I'm like, like, throwing pictures at me. And, like, we're gonna stick your. I'm like. And all I'm. All I could say was, call 91 1. Call 91 1. The cops show up, load all of them up, and take them away. I call my boss, who's from St. Louis and very aware of who these people were, and she goes, I said, this just happened. And she's like, you can't go back to the restaurant. She's like, I'll call you back, dude. They moved me to Atlanta the next day.

[B]

Holy.

[A]

They're like, no, no, no, no, no. My boss called, like, our boss and was like, you don't understand. Like, this is not. This is real. This dude cannot stay in St. Louis. He's got to go tomorrow. And I moved to Saint. I moved to Atlanta the next day.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

It was wild. So, yeah. Almost got killed by the mafia in St. Louis.

[B]

Never heard?

[A]

No, not till now. When somebody says this. You know that Hooters guy? I heard his podcast. I heard the podcast. I know where he's at. No, no. See, yeah, that's part of the wilder days. But back to you, Dave, after that little segue into nowhere. So when you were playing in the major leagues, was there anybody that you just. I mean, they just would come to the plate, and you're like, this dude. Like. Like, I'm just gonna stick it right at this dude's crawl.

[B]

Like. Like, did well against or Mike, so.

[A]

I want to get him out. You were like, this guy. Here comes this guy.

[B]

Yeah, there was probably a. There was probably a few of them.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I'm trying to think of names right now, and I'm kind of blanking, but there were some players that just didn't play the game the correct way.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or the way I. I liked. So you just. You want to get those players out so bad. Yeah, so bad. And I just. I can't think of the names right now.

[A]

Who was the best teammate you ever had?

[B]

Probably CeCe Sabathia. I mean, I had so many good ones. Bob Wickman was a good one.

[A]

What Made him a good teammate.

[B]

I mean, we just get along good, you know what I mean? And go out everything off the field, hang out together, have the same likes or whatever, and it just got along with them good.

[A]

Just got along.

[B]

Yeah. One of my best friends still today is Ryan Dries. He was a teammate of mine in Cleveland, and we still talk every day.

[A]

What was it like when you get the. So, like, you'd get settled in a place. What's it like to get the call? I mean, look, I just. Unless the mafia is killing you, you have to go. Was there a time when you got that call and you were like, ah, man, I don't want to do that, but you got to do it anyway.

[B]

Oh, to join the game?

[A]

No. When you get traded.

[B]

Oh. And yes, yes. But from Boston. I didn't love Boston when I played for him because I was hurt, and I didn't play a lot there the first, like, three months, so I didn't get to know my teammates very well there, so I. I didn't mind that trade.

[A]

So you went from. Let's see, you. You started with the. No.

[B]

Cleveland.

[A]

Cleveland Indians.

[B]

Got traded to the Red Sox.

[A]

The Red Sox.

[B]

And traded to the White Sox.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And then signed as a free agent with the Royals and a free agent with the Brewers.

[A]

So that was your choice.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

To go there.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What was it about those two, Those teams that you want to play?

[B]

My wife at the time was born and raised in Kansas City, and her whole family lived there, so we got a house there, and that was a great year.

[A]

What do you think of Kansas City?

[B]

I loved it.

[A]

Did you?

[B]

I loved it because we. We knew everybody there.

[A]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

You know what I mean? And outside in, like, Blue Springs and Lee Summit, it's. It's really nice there for. Especially because I had young kids at the time.

[A]

Yeah. It's got to be tough, you know, because I did it to a certain extent. Right. And I'm curious what your experience was with it. It's different because you're famous and you're a ballplayer, and everybody wants to be close to you and be friends with you and all that shit, but how do you reconcile? Like, you constantly move into a new place, and then sudden, like, all these people are coming at you, and you're like, how do you disseminate? How would you disseminate? Like, who's real and who's just hanging out? Because I play ball.

[B]

Right. It's. That's a tough. It's a tough question because usually, like, I want Everyone to know that I'm normal. And we, we want people to think that we're normal. But there are fans out there that just kind of just wear you down.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And just want a picture with you non stop or whatever it is. But it was really cool in Kansas City because we had so much help around us and we had little kids and I just, I was always told I was always that family man first, so I didn't have a problem with it at all there.

[A]

Okay, cool. Was there a time when like. Because obviously you go from, you go from dads at Boeing on, on the line, a mom's a waitress to, I mean, you know, you started making some pretty good money really quickly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So what was that? So what was the mind, what was the mind shift like of where you go from? No success, like financially, like struggling, probably not. Struggling, probably medical. Big time.

[B]

Struggling, struggling.

[A]

Okay. Struggling.

[B]

$800 a month.

[A]

$800 a month. Right. Being a multi millionaire. Right. So obviously you've done very well long term. You're not, you know, you're not hawking autographs at Fiddling Ford whatever on the Saturdays. So what was that like? And how did you set yourself up to make sure that you were never going to be broke?

[B]

Well, I, growing up, we were, I was poor.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like my dad, my mom and dad got divorced, so my dad was on his own for a while. Right. So I was just with my mom and I had two other brothers and she was a waitress and she was just bringing home tips for us. And we went from apartment to apartment and then my dad came back in a picture like my senior year in high school or whatever. So it was really just my mom raising us off her tips. So we had no money. So I just, I'd always stuck with sports and that's what helped me through my childhood. But then once I got to the big league, I started making this money. It was like, oh my gosh. Like it's. I remember taking a picture of my first check and I'm like, what is this? This is two week check.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's just freaking out. But I had a problem, like we all do, like once you get into money, like you want to buy stuff that you never thought you could get, you know what I mean? But I did.

[A]

How long did, how long of that period of just buy dumb did you go through?

[B]

Probably until I got married.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's when the wife was like, yeah.

[B]

Probably for a couple years. Yeah, I probably did. I bought a lot of dumb.

[A]

What was the dumbest Thing you bought.

[B]

I mean, I'm a big time shoe collector, so I probably overpaid for some shoes. Like who knows what I paid for shoes. Just something stupid. Yeah. And then cars, I always went through cars and stuff like that.

[A]

Yeah. Just, just depreciating assets like crazy. Did somebody at some point grab you and say, hey, risky. Like, hey man, we got to get a plan for some of this And Yeah, because you don't want to be broke two years out of the majors. Yeah.

[B]

So the big thing with baseball players and probably basketball, football, professional athletes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's always agents. Like I have, I had an agent, I still have an agent and a financial advisor. Those are the two guys that athletes always get. So.

[A]

But how does somebody of them wind up broke if. Did they just not listen to these guys?

[B]

They don't listen to them because, you know, they'll call their financial guy and be like, this is my money. No, send it to me, I need it. And they're like, you know, and I've always been, my, my guy is great. Like I still have him to today. He always drives in a slow lane, which is good for me, you know what I mean? But I, I could make more money if I moved over a lane, but I just stay in the slow lane and just kind of live my life. Yeah, but you will.

[A]

Yeah, but here's the thing. You'll want for nothing. Your kids will want for nothing for the rest of their lives. It's, it's fine, right?

[B]

For sure. Yeah. But we always have those two guys, agent and financial guys that always help us players out. And you just got to, hopefully you pick the right ones.

[A]

Who was the worst dude you were ever around with money? Like you just knew like, bro, this guy's going to be like five seconds from now. Just how they lived.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

You don't have to name names. Just tell me a terrible story. When you were like, bro, what are you doing?

[B]

I just remember a rookie, I remember a rookie just got called up to the big leagues and I had like five or six years in and it was his first time in the big leagues and like the week, our first road trip, he went out and bought, I think he went to the Gucci Louis Vuitton store and just bought everything. And we're sitting there going, he hasn't even got paid yet. And he gets like, if you don't pitch good, you're getting set right back down.

[A]

Yeah, this is like you're not on.

[B]

A multi million contract that's guaranteed. This guy Was just rookie. Like just. Just got caught up on nothing. Even though it was like 200,000 a year. But it's all prorated. Like you don't make $200,000. Right. Soon as you get to the big leagues.

[A]

No, you know, it's what it's. You gotta wait every week you're there. Yeah.

[B]

And we were just like, what are had Rolex, but he went out and bought everything. And I'm sure he put it on a credit card.

[A]

Yeah. Did he. Did he stay? He stayed.

[B]

I think he stayed about four or five years in the big league.

[A]

Okay, good. That's fine. At least.

[B]

But I don't think he made a ton of money.

[A]

But he got to pay off the credit card. At least that first of all got paid off.

[B]

You know, the biggest problem is, and I hate saying this, the bigger problem is really not the. A lot of times it's the. The girlfriends or the wives too that come in. And what's worse.

[A]

Yeah, I was like, there was something funny. I sent it to one of my buddies yesterday. Someone was like, it was a meme on. On Instagram or whatever. And it's just this chick and she said me getting ready to tell my husband that somebody or me telling my husband that some dude flirted with me at the restaurant. And he just shows a text message for this, says, yeah, show him last month's credit card bill. He'll never talk to you again.

[B]

That's so true.

[A]

Well, what's worse too, man, is just, you know, the people you came up with there, there's this. That obligation among so many people to financially take care of way too many people.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Way too many people with that.

[B]

The entourages they have. Yeah, yeah, that's 100%. You see that all the time. All the time.

[A]

If you could go back and give. Let's. Let's call him 22 year old, just up to the big league. Dave Risky. Some advice. Now you're old grizzled Dave Risky Sands Soul Patch. What would you. What would you say to. What would you tell young Dave Risky?

[B]

I would tell him 100%. You got to be smarter with your money. Way smarter. As far as not buying the dumb shit. It. You know what I mean? And going through all the houses and all this. But once you. Once you sign a big contract, you're just like, you want to do that one time. Like, you want to get the big house, you want to get the cool cars and whatever, you know what I mean? But I don't know, it's just that we don't really think about the future when you're there.

[A]

It's so funny. I had a conversation with a buddy of mine, was in town this weekend that I was out with all weekend that just sold his company for $128 million. I mean, it's massive clip, right? And this is a dude that was a dishwasher 11 years ago.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Literally washing dishes in a restaurant 11 years ago. So it was coming for 120 million.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Great story.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But we're talking about, you know, I'm just like, you're gonna go. I'm gonna go. What are you gonna do? Right? Because, like, I. I'm just. You know, my big question was because he came to Vegas, and I said, how much you gonna play? Like, what. What do you play now? Right? I mean, how much? Because, you know, gambling is only kind of fun if it really kind of matters a little bit, right? It's kind of. I'm just gonna play 25 bucks a hand. That's it. And that's. And he did, dude. And he did. That's all he played. And it was funny. But we were talking about all the stuff, you know, the Gucci, the Rolex, all that. And he's like, well, who's that for? It's not for me. I don't give a. You know, it's funny. Like. Like, you know, my buddy Brad Lee said, you know, it's. It's. I don't wear a Rolex to tell me what time it is. I'm. Relax. Tell you what time.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I love that. I just heard that saying somewhere else.

[A]

Yeah. And it's some. And at some point, though, you just. When you get enough money, you don't need to tell anybody else what time it is because you just don't give a. Anymore.

[B]

For sure. Yeah.

[A]

Which is funny. So let's move on, man, because, you know, look, he had a great career in the majors, and it was a very impressive career to be there that long. Especially when you're starting from, like. I mean, you were beyond Mr. Relevant. You were literally in the intern draft.

[B]

Oh, 100%. Like, yeah.

[A]

What do you guys think? I don't know. Ask Mom. Mom. Risky. I mean. Yeah, Risky. It's a risk. I like it. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Risky breaking up for sure. Yeah. It's crazy. But you now have gone the other way because, like, going from having dad that, you know, discouraged you and discouraged your dreams, you now have two kids playing D1 baseball at very prestigious schools. Good spots are still D1. No.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Both of them are still there.

[B]

Both of them still.

[A]

Yeah, I can remember the other one already went in the draft or not. Okay, so let's talk about that. So you get, you get your sons. Did you always want them to like, did you always want to play baseball? Did you let them choose that path? Like, how did that work out?

[B]

When I retired in year, did I retire 2011, 2012? Somewhere in there, I started them. I started a club ball baseball team around town right away. And I feel like I did it at a too early of an age for them. But yes, I wanted them to play baseball. I wanted them play all sports, which they did. But if I could go back and change something, I wish I could have, I wasn't so hard on them, or some people say that's what made them better, but I was, I was, I was a very competitive, hard dad with them. And to go back, I, I wanted kids right away when I was young because I wanted my kids to be able to come into the clubhouse and see what I did. So, so luckily, and I was blessed that my boys got to come in the clubhouse at like 5 and 7 years old. So they got to see what I did, but my daughter didn't get to. But once, once I had them or whatever, once we were growing up in there in that where I thought they were pretty good, I pushed them a little. I pushed them really hard.

[A]

So for all of the people. So, so I, I guess the question becomes how do you know? Because like, again, baseball is crazy here. My, my son played all sports as well in Vegas and baseball in particular in Vegas was crazy.

[B]

It's really crazy.

[A]

It's really crazy. Like when he's like 5, people are like, who's this hitting coach? I'm like, he's yeah, five.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

Like, like at this point we're on Operation don't look like a Jackass is my main ob. That's, that's about it. But it's that serious out here. So at what point do you think, like, if I'm talking to other parents out there, where do you cross the line of lunacy? Like, like, what skill sets are you looking for where you're like, okay, this kid can maybe play? I mean, as somebody that was, that was a coach of a club team, like, we all know that everybody thinks their kids better than they are.

[B]

I was just going to mention that.

[A]

I don't think you need to mention that. I think everybody knows that. So how do you. But how do you really Know, though is a good. Is the question.

[B]

I think the best thing you could do is wait to have an opinion until they're in eighth or ninth grade because that's when it all starts. All I think the biggest mistake parents make is at, like you said, five, six years old. They think their kids are the next Babe Ruth or whoever you want to say, Bryce Harper. They, they think they're so good so that, so they get convinced that they need a pitching coach, a hitting coach, an infield coach and all these coaches. And nothing against the coaches, like they're making a living, you know, teaching baseball, which I think is great.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I, I wish the parents would settle down just a little bit. My kids had to go through growing up. They had to go through, their dad was a major leaguer. So these kids better be great, they better be perfect.

[A]

They walked in with a high expectation.

[B]

You know what I mean? And that's another thing that's. I didn't like that feeling. I didn't want my kids to feel that way. But these parents, if they just kind of settle down for a minute and just let the kids. Because everybody develops at different ages. Everybody gets bigger and stronger at different ages. You know what I mean? And just because your kid's big at 10 years old and hitting home runs, that doesn't mean he's making it to the big leagues. Yeah, it's a 1%, maybe less than 1% chance making to the big leagues.

[A]

Well, let's, let's be honest and somebody needs to hear this, but if your kid is the, is the 10 year old hitting home runs, he's probably going to be the super fat kid. Can we agree with that? Can we, can we agree statistically, that's normally where that lands. Right? He's the super fat kid.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He can't run to first base and.

[B]

He'S just bigger and stronger than everybody at that age.

[A]

Right. He just happened to be bigger and bigger, stronger. So step one, don't have an opinion until eight or ninth grade. I like that.

[B]

Just enjoy your kids.

[A]

Enjoy your kids.

[B]

Be a cheerleader on the side, you know what I mean? Just be a cheerleader of your kids and just enjoy them. And if they love it, I mean, I've got, I got friends that their kids are so good at a sport at 10 years old and they just, all they want to do and there's nothing wrong with that.

[A]

Yeah. You're letting the kid guide that too.

[B]

For sure. Yeah. You can't pressure them into playing because you love the sport.

[A]

Yeah. Dude, it's, it's. So as I can remember my, my son playing sports as a small, small kid. And it was always like, you know, soccer was always like the vibrating football sets. It was just like a mob of little four year olds chasing the ball around. But it was always funny, right? Like, I can remember that the beast on our team was the Samoan girl named chloe. Like, at 4, if chloe showed up, we were gonna have a good day because she just run over everybody. It was great, right? And then like, that was always good. Football was kind of a little bit of a hodgepodge. But dude, dude, go into like those. The first year of kid pitch baseball. That's long.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. So long.

[A]

Like. And even then here in Vegas, she had kids with 500 bats. It's like, bro, you're gonna see three good pitches.

[B]

It's exhausting watching, especially someone that knows the game too. And you're sitting there going, oh, my gosh.

[A]

Ball 12, ball 14. Ball 18. Yeah, it's a long day. So step one, one, wait till they're in eighth grade. How many type of opinions? So let's say now you got a kid that you think is pretty good. What makes a kid pretty good? If you just had to say, now, granted, each position is a little different, but I would think that there's some underlying theme amongst all of these kids. What makes a kid look.

[B]

I would just look at how athletic they are. So no matter what position they're playing or even what sport they're playing, you can see a kid and see, oh, he's athletic. His movements are different than all these other kids. Yeah, that's how I always tell. And obviously I'm looking for certain things on the baseball field, but just the way he. They move and use their hand, eye coordination and all this stuff, you can tell when someone's more advanced than other kids.

[A]

Now there, there are a bunch of facilities here in town that teach that literally, that's all they specialize on, is movement for all sports there.

[B]

I think there's so many in town. Yeah, I think, like, how to run.

[A]

Better, how to jump.

[B]

I think, yeah, there's one called My buddy runs it. It's called Game Changers.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, I think that's what it was. And, and yeah, dude, I mean, so if they, if they move well and you can see that they're athletic.

[B]

I think if, like, if there's an athletic kid, no matter what sport it is, I think you can make them or not make them. You. They could be good at it, if they're athletic. It's just the non athletes that the kids that are running and falling like, you're just like, I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, stay in school, buddy. Keep studying.

[B]

You know how many times I went home and I was coaching club bar, little League or whatever I was in, I was like, man, I just wish they would pick a different sport.

[A]

Yeah, maybe this isn't for you.

[B]

And baseball is boring. Boring. I'm not gonna lie. Baseball's boring.

[A]

I, I love the, I love those, those videos of the guy that walks out to the little league mound. I'm sure you've seen the coach. He's like, are you sure you're not left handed?

[B]

That is, I mean that. I know exactly what you're talking about. That is so good.

[A]

Can you. No mas more.

[B]

I think you said one time, why does your parents let you play this game?

[A]

Exactly. Oh, man. So, but, but doing that, Let me ask you this. Because, like the club ball versus traditional little League, right. What is the advantage of the club ball versus. Because, dude, that stuff. And we played club lacrosse and it was all encompassing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean it was just, it was every day, every week and every something. Is that good for a kid?

[B]

I don't think so. And, and I had my kids do it, but we didn't, we didn't do it all the time. It was like maybe one tournament a month, which is still a lot. A lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But playing club ball and spending all that we always joke about, me and my buddies are like, all the money we spent on club ball and all these parents that spent on club ball could have paid for college. Yeah, you could go to college anywhere.

[A]

You could have paid for it. The thing I find so interesting about so much of those club sports is they're really all star teams. And if you're playing a sport and I don't know how much of this baseball plays into because a lot of it is really an individual, you know, know, being good at your individual position, being able to play in that. But you know, my experience with lacrosse was it was funny. You know, my son came up on that eighth grade. You know, it was, it was, it was a rec team.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But we played club tournaments and these were kids that played together all the time. And it started playing when they were very young coming up, and we would go to these all star tournaments and just house these teams of the best kids from Washington State, the best kids from California, and they're like, this is a rec team.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And you're like, yeah, but they just play together all the time every day. They don't, they don't play on eight different teams with nine different guys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So they know what they're going to do. That continuity, I think, I think was a lot of it. So club ball not necessary.

[B]

I mean I'm, I'm not against it, but I'm just, there's just too much like I, I've heard some parents tell me, they place, I go, why do you play so many games? The human body, like especially throwing a baseball. You're not supposed to throw a baseball every day. It's just not how it works. Injuries come and play with that or whatever. And they said, well, we're afraid that our kid, little Johnny or whatever is going to be behind if we don't play as much. I'm like, what do you mean behind? Yeah, you know what I mean. So these parents are so worried that they're not playing every single weekend. So they'll jump to teams and go to not even, even not play with. If their team's not playing, they'll go to play for another team because they feel like the more they play, the better they'll get. Better. It's not true at all.

[A]

Well, if you've ever seen me play golf, you know that that's not true.

[B]

Same with me.

[A]

Yeah, which, which you have. You could be a ten day layoff man. I'm gonna smoke it. Right.

[B]

And baseball and throwing a baseball. There's nothing better than rest. Yeah, the rest and go. Like I say, go play another sport. Yeah, go play wreck basketball just for fun as a kid.

[A]

And because you're developing a whole other.

[B]

Oh my gosh, you're developing so much more.

[A]

Well, it's funny, there was that story like when Michael Jordan went from playing basketball to playing baseball. His trainer was like, we have to train completely different because we have an entirely different set of muscle groups we have to have to work on that are dormant with what you do now. And so. Yeah, that's probably true. So when you get to high school. Right. How important is the selection of the high school team? How important is that this is as far as getting scholarships? I mean, how important is it to make sure your kid is on the right high school team?

[B]

So I've been on both sides, parent and a coach in high school. So I'm kind of in the middle of all of it. So I, I've always tended to want my kids to go to a better team or where there's better players, even elite players, because I think if My kids are not elite. I think they're. They could get better. I was always against going to a high school where they're terrible. And then you being the best player on the team.

[A]

Yeah. You don't get any better.

[B]

I don't think you can get better that way. But so many people play summer ball, and summer ball is very important because that's when you get seen by all these college coaches.

[A]

So the high school is not even that important. It is.

[B]

I love high school baseball. It is. But the college coaches cannot go and re in and see them play in.

[A]

High school because they're working.

[B]

Right. So that's the tough part. So summer. Summer ball is you get looked at and you get recruited way harder in the summer.

[A]

So where is summer ball? How do people get their kids into that?

[B]

There's. There's so many different teams, especially in. In town here. Oh, my gosh. There's so many different teams. And then, like, my kids would travel outside of state and they'd go play in Arizona for a team, they go play in Ohio for a team, Utah for a team, and they would just travel that way.

[A]

So how did you get them connected with those teams?

[B]

Well, it's almost like these summer ball teams, coaches, they like, call, they kind of recruit.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So they'll. They'll know if somebody. They see video of somebody or seen them play before, and they'll call. They'll call me. I'm like, hey, can your son play. Play for us this summer? And they kind of reach out.

[A]

Let's say you live in a weird sort of place like Saskatchewan, Canada, whatever.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Do you just send stuff out to these guys?

[B]

Yeah. Now, nowadays there's so much video out there. So now you just send your video or you. Or you just make calls if you want to come in the state, like you come in the States and play or whatever. But they. My kids played a lot of Canadian teams that would come over and play.

[A]

Did they?

[B]

Yeah. Yep.

[A]

Okay, so let's talk about now you got a point. So you're playing summer ball, which is where you really get noticed. That's where stuff starts to happen, right?

[B]

Yes, but I don't want to. I don't. I think high school baseball is great and you can still get noticed. A lot of pro scouts go to the high school baseball. If there's a kid that they're there looking.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Looking at, word gets out pretty quick.

[A]

If the kids that exceptional.

[B]

For sure. Yes.

[A]

Like, because again, I think, I think for most people, I think. I think that that that dad who's getting the hitching hitting coach for the five year old, I think it's not necessarily his goal right away is to get that kid drafted out of high school into the majors. He's trying to get him into college.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I think that's what most of us as good parents want for our kids is for them to get into a good school.

[B]

And I. So I would hope that parents would. Their first option should be like let the kid enjoy the sport.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean? Don't force it on because that's. I. It actually happened to me. My oldest son was. And I can say this now because he's in college and it's a pitcher, but shortstop wise and defensively was unbelievable. And I would never say this out loud to him and let him hear this, you know, I mean this is the kind of dad I was. But coaches from around town, defensively he was unbelievable. But he didn't hit. He didn't, he didn't like to hit. He didn't want to get better at hitting. He was just not very good hitter. So he became a pitcher.

[A]

Can't play shortstop, you can't hit. Right.

[B]

So he became it. And now he's pitching in college right now. Yeah, but I'm just like, I just. You know what I mean? You just can't. And he actually stopped liking baseball. I think he took baseball off from 9 to 12 or 9 to 9 to 11. He thought he's like, dad, I don't want to play baseball anymore. So I felt like I almost like got him to hate the sport.

[A]

Dude, what was that like?

[B]

Oh, it was. I was crushed, absolutely crushed. And that was my biggest fear. Like me pushing them too hard in the sport and then them not wanting to play. But after the fact and even with my younger son, I was just like, you guys can do whatever you want.

[A]

I'm just thinking about what I think is Bill Burr that said, it's like you want to push your kids like Michael Jackson. You want to push them just far enough to get the Thriller album, but not so far that they molest kids. There's a line you gotta have right there somewhere like I want them to.

[B]

Be tough, you know what I mean? And. And competitive and tough.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they are. But I just, I did was a little overboard with my oldest son. What?

[A]

What? What? Tell me about a conversation you would have had with one of your kids. I mean 11, 12, that's kid stuff I'm talking about. Tell me that conversation at 17, 18, when they're like, dad, I think I might want to quit. What's the conversation like?

[B]

Oh, I. Well, they. I didn't get that, but. Okay, that would be awful. Like, I don't. I don't even know how I would respond to that, because baseball was my life. That's all. That's all I know is baseball.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean? So. And knowing all the. All the attention they were getting from all these schools and pro scouts and all, they're getting a ton of attention. So I was just sitting there going, you got. And I tried to push them harder once all that came in, but they never. At that age, I was hoping that didn't happen.

[A]

At what point did it click for them? And they wanted to get a D1 scholarship.

[B]

The kids, you know what's funny is kids at that age, they just results. If they. If they have good results, they love it. And then my oldest was like, if he doesn't have results, he hated the sport. He hated baseball if he doesn't have good results. And that basically, if you're playing baseball, it's a game of failure. It's all about, you know what I mean? Results, dude.

[A]

It. It. You know, it's so funny. And that's why. That's why sports are so great for kids. You know, if your kids aren't playing sports, even if they have no gift whatsoever, get them in something. Because if, you know, I listened to, you know, I. I speak a lot. I'm out, and I do these things. And, you know, there's other speakers, and they have these horrendous, terrible stories, these backstories. I don't have that. Right. My kids will never have this horrendous, didn't know where the next meal was coming from story.

[B]

Right?

[A]

So as parents, we've got to set them up for life, because life is going to present them with some adversity for sure. And I think sports is the best manufactured adversity you can give your kids. And it's so true. And it's like, literally, my son yesterday was talking about something that he does for me here, he works here at the company. And something he does that does involve some failure, right? It involves some rejection. You know, people do slam the door in his face a little bit for something, a certain task he has to do. And he said, man, I just don't know if I'm cut out for that. And I said, dude, that's. That's adversity that you need to lean into that. The heart is. Is where you need to Lean, because eventually it will get easier. And I said, how many times have you heard me say this? When I'll just literally say, I'm not leaving today until I get one win. I just need one win today. That means that literally everything else I touched today did not go my way.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But I'm gonna stay. I'm not getting out of this chair until I get a win.

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

Because that. That. That's. That's how you overcome adversity. And I think through sports, I think it's such a good plan for kids to learn that. And it's so great that your kids never got to a point as young adults.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Where they said. Where it was like, the adversity was so great that they wanted to walk away from that.

[B]

Right. Yeah, I was. I was. I always thought about that if that happened too. But it didn't happen. Thank God. But I always thought about then how I would react to that. But going back to that, I think I heard this from Michael Jordan one time, and he was like, you know the old saying, there's no I in team. I think Michael Jordan said something like, there's no I in team, but there's an I and win. Yeah, well, you know, and there's a me. Yeah. So if he works harder, he can. They're gonna win.

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

I just. I just think kids in today, and not to stereotype all kids or whatever, but I think kids today are just a little bit softer when it comes to sports.

[A]

I think they're softer at everything.

[B]

Or maybe everything.

[A]

But you have to understand, dude, I mean, look, kids today will never understand the pain of your father saying, you gotta go do something in the yard on Saturday morning when that's the only time you had to watch cartoons. Like, if I miss this, I'm done for a week. I can't pull it up on demand.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, dude, I walk in yesterday, my daughter's got doordash. What are you doing?

[B]

I know.

[A]

Like, what. Why are you door dad? Like, go to the store. Why are you door Dashing? It's crazy.

[B]

My boys do. They won't make food for themselves. It's just insanity, you know? I mean, they want it made for them. And I'm like, you guys are so spoiled. But again, that was partly my fault too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Forgive them. That was another thing to go back. Like, I had nothing growing up. So, like, once I had kids, like, I wanted them to get everything I didn't have.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and sometimes I can bite you in the butt.

[A]

Dude, for sure. And I think, you know, that's always my biggest concern too. And I tell people, everybody that comes through here, it's hyper, wealthy. I'm always like, okay, tell me how to not raise worthless kids. Because that is my biggest. My. Dude, you asked me what my biggest fear in life is. It's not dying. It's not anything else. It's raising worthless kids. And I think we're doing a really good job, man. My kid. My kids are awesome, but at the same time, yeah, dude, you want them to just be like, hey, we're gonna fly to. You know, we're gonna.

[B]

For yourself sometimes. Yeah.

[A]

But, like, not everybody. It gets to fly on Emirates first class to Paris when they're 14. That doesn't always happen. And. Right. So when I. I do. What I do is when we do, like, that is I always make sure I tell them exactly how much everything costs. You know, one of my favorite thing conversations we ever had was at some point, you know, my son was like, 13, and I guess he was just trying to be grounded or whatever he was trying to be. And he's like, you know, I don't need a big giant house like this. Really? You don't. You don't need a big giant. No, I just. This is a lot of house. I don't like when I'm. When I'm grown. I just want a house like our old house. I said said, really? Our old house? Okay, so let's pull it up and see what it just sold for. Old house has just sold for, like, 1.1 million. I'm like, you're gonna need a minimum salary of $187,000 to afford that house on a 40% DTI. How's that working out for you, Teach? And he's like, what? Like, yeah, no, dude, this is how much the world costs.

[B]

Oh, I know.

[A]

It's how much the world costs. So the offers start coming in for folks. How do you guide your sons through that process? Because, I mean, obviously now it's a whole new thing with nil and all this other stuff. I mean, you guide your sons through that process. How much input did you have on the offers that they got dealing with the coaches? How much input did you have?

[B]

I had a lot of input with it. Obviously, I'm respected more because I. I was in the game right by this. By these baseball coaches. So I had a lot of input with it. My. I think the biggest mistake some parents and some kids make picking a college is sometimes they just want to pick that Big name game. Oh, I'm going to usc. Oh, I'm going to uc, Whatever. Whatever. Big college. And sometimes that can come. That can bite you in the butt because there's a. They're getting the best of the best at these big colleges. And then you. You hear about the kid going through three or four years of college and never really played.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they can be released in college now. You know what I mean? And they could be, you're not going to play, so might as well transfer out. And that's why the portal. Where the portal comes in. But I would say pick a place where you had the best chance to play. And obviously it's all about results and how you develop and what you do once you get there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, not saying you can't play at these big colleges, but you're also.

[A]

Trying to get an education in case. Because, I mean, like, it doesn't happen for everybody.

[B]

Right. I even told my boys that you guys are good, but the percentage of you making it is not good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I will never say you can't do it unless you're going to put it.

[A]

In the fuel tank.

[B]

Right. Um, but the percentage of making is not good. And I was just telling my oldest son, I think I was telling both my sons the other day. I was like, nobody in my family on my side has. Has a college degree. I go, Peyton, my oldest, he's a junior now at University of Utah. I go, you could be the first one to have a college degree. Like, not. Who cares about baseball?

[A]

You got to show up.

[B]

Cares about baseball.

[A]

Just like, if that happens, you got to show up at his commencement, like, wearing overalls and no shirt, like, you first want to get a degree. Daddy's proud of you, boy. Proud of you. Back in the holler.

[B]

So any. Anyways, I try to always preach that to them, like, get that college degree.

[A]

Yeah, dude, it's. It's funny, man. It's. It's. I think that's. You gotta have the fall back there. Even though, you know, these days it's.

[B]

It is different now.

[A]

Well, they are. There's such the argument, bro. And I hate it because you got all the, you know, the Internet hustle culture. Right. Which I'm all about, dude, you want to hustle, that's fine. But I hate these dudes. And there's this whole, this whole tribe of influencers through the hustle culture that are just. College is stupid, you know, don't go. College is wasting money. You need to get in the hustle, blah, blah, blah. And none of these have college degrees.

[B]

No. Yeah.

[A]

So, dude, it's like, like, you can tell me something stupid if you've done it.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Right. But if you've never done it and you're just trying to justify your existence. Right, because you haven't done it, that's fine. Like, I didn't graduate from college. I went to college and I, I quit because I felt the institution had nothing further to offer me for what I was studying. And, and, but, but at the same time, you know, I would never tell anybody. That's stupid.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Right. Because I, I don't. I didn't finish it. I don't know. So. And I think college is such a good place to learn how to be an adult, if nothing else.

[B]

For sure. Great. Myself, four years of growing up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, you could make a lot of money and not have a college degree, obviously. Like, oh, sure, of course you can. But to have that college degree. And I always tell my boys too, like, you're playing baseball and you're getting it paid for. Like, why would you not want to?

[A]

Why would you not.

[B]

You know what I mean? Like, and you're, like you said, you're developing and growing up for those four years.

[A]

One like that, you know, you got one son at Utah and the other one's at usc.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. Dude, those connections that he's making at.

[B]

Usc, that's what we always talk about. Yes.

[A]

That is worth its weight in gold, that, dude. For those of you who listen to us on the east coast, you gotta understand, USC is like the financial mafia on the West Coast. It really is those, Those.

[B]

Everyone tells me. Yeah.

[A]

Those folks all run together and they are. It is a. It is a fraternity eternity of sorts.

[B]

Yes, for sure. So, yeah, I mean, like, honestly, like, you, your, Your business here, like, if you went to usc, and my kid, you didn't know him. He came in and did a job interview with you and said he went to usc. It's not a big deal.

[A]

Yeah, he said, oh, yeah, you're in. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, we're going to see. Taking Hayden, we're going. We're doing all the California schools in two weeks. We're gonna do ucla, usc, Stanford in three days.

[B]

Oh, that's awesome.

[A]

Schools. Because those are the three schools. Yeah, he's narrowed down too, on. On California, so, yeah, obviously not athletic scholarship. We don't have that. We didn't get that gene. But he got the brains, I guess, from his moment into that one. Well, what do you think the biggest mistakes our parents make when trying to get their kids college, as far as.

[B]

On scholarships through athletics, I think at times they can want too much, you know what I mean? Like, oh, my Johnny is so good. He has 10 home runs this, that he needs full rides. You know what I mean? He needs. We can't pay for anything. And there are certain situations. Parents, they can't pay for college, right? So I, I get those things. But like, I think it just goes back to like, you can't think your kid is. Don't think they're so good. I'm not making sense, but like, you know what I mean? Like, just come back a couple levels and just. You know what I mean? Don't. I don't even know how to say it. Like, don't think your kid is the best and should get the best. Yeah, I just think you need to be more humble with it. Let your kids. Did just go through it on his own.

[A]

Yeah. Well, dude, man, good talk, brother.

[B]

Yeah, that was fun.

[A]

If they, if they. Dude, if they want to find you more, how do they find you?

[B]

I mean, I'm on Instagram on the ground. I don't. I really do a bunch.

[A]

Don't do a lot.

[B]

Don't do a lot.

[A]

See this, this is where I'm gonna. I'm gonna make Dave make a course. I'm gonna make him make a course to help parents get their kids into D1 schools. I think, I think the information that you have in this arena is invaluable and I think it's just something people should have. So.

[B]

Yeah, and I can, I can, you know, work on this even more. This is like the first podcast I ever done, so I'm not. Not as smooth. And I'm gonna mean like, well, you.

[A]

Know, look, I. I think if we've learned anything from today, like, if, if you can take anything away from today, it's. Even if somebody played 10 years in the big leagues, was an elite level athlete for the majority of their life, you can host a podcast and still hit a golf ball 40 yards farther than they can. Because I do it pretty consistently. I'd like to say where he actually accused me of being on steroids last night.

[B]

You hit it like 400 yards.

[A]

I know I'm not on steroids, but thanks for asking. That's all we need to do. Anyway, guys. Listen, man, I hope you got a bunch out of this. If you have kids today, man, you know, they could be great, but you got to give them an opportunity to do so and so can you give yourself a chance we'll see you next time. What's up, everybody? Thanks for joining us for another episode of Escaping the Drift. Hope you got a bunch out of it, or at least as much as I did out of it. Anyway, if you want to learn more about the show, you can always go over to escaping the drift.com you can join our mailing list. But do me a favor, if you wouldn't mind, throw up that five star review. Give us a share. Do something, man. We're here for you. Hopefully you'll be here for us. But anyway, in the meantime, we will see you at the next episode.